I am partnering with Rare Patient Voice to double our impact, and create awareness. As a self proclaimed patient advocate, I am excited to align together to share our passion, and further help others. As an IBD patient, I have become familiar with Rare Patient Voice on my Instagram feed, but if you haven't seen all of the exciting things they have going on, stop what you're doing, and read my post. What is Rare Patient Voice, one might ask? RPV connects patients and family caregivers of rare and non-rare diseases with opportunities to share their opinions with companies and researchers by par ..read more

Back in early August, I ran my first half marathon of the summer. I wasn't happy with my time on the first one, so I wanted a second crack at it. Have I mentioned I'm incredibly stubborn, and I NEVER settle? What I didn't realize is that I was scheduled to do my Humira shot the night before the race. I decided to turn to all of my wonderful IBD followers, and pose a critical question to them. Should I still proceed with my scheduled dose, or wait and do it after my event? The overwhelming response was, "save the shot." Another comment that stuck out was, "unless you want to sabotage your run ..read more

If you administer Humira injections, then you're all too familiar with the Sharps container. Anyways, I noticed my sharps container was getting uncomfortably full, and instead of calling two weeks ago like I should've....I waited. If I didn't get a new container soon, my Humira pens would start overflowing out the top. Why is it important to properly dispose of your injection needles/pens? If they aren't safely stored, they could get in the hands of little ones, spread infection, or disease. Looking at my stuffed container, I finally called Humira and talked to a representative. This is typic ..read more

I wrote a post awhile back titled, "Reaching Remission with Evinature." Since then, I have received several messages with further inquiries, as well as questions regarding its effectiveness. We've all read a catchy headlines promoting products, making some pretty bold claims, but a lot of the time if something seems too good to be true, it probably is. Some of us out of desperation will try anything. This anguish comes from experiencing all of the ebs and flows of having a chronic disease. The mental and physical challenges we experience at times, is unbearable. This especially rings true for ..read more

Diet & IBD 101 Speakers: Rotem Sigall Boneh RD & Nir Salomon Date & Time: November 29th, 1:00 PM ET Rotem Sigall Boneh is a clinical dietitian, researcher, co-founder of the Crohn’s Disease Exclusion diet, and founder of the dietitian's committee of the European Crohn’s and Colitis Organization. She’ll join our very own integrative GI expert and co-founder, Nir Salomon, to break down the fundamentals of diet and how it can impact or even improve IBD symptoms. You’ll learn how to integrate diet with supplements, get the real story behind the latest diet myths, and expert advice on ..read more

After going nearly two and a half years without one single positive covid test, we were ready to have custom made t-shirts stating, "NEVER HAD COVID," or something to that tune. As a family of 5 we were proud of avoiding the deadly virus, and not contributing to the lethal spread taking over the world. Well, we ate our words. Extreme diligence, masking, compulsive hand washing and avoiding situations that would prove too risky wasn't enough. Our kindergartner ended up bringing covid home on the last day of school. Talk about dumb luck. We demonstrated that testing positive for covid is all ab ..read more

I had been sick for what seemed to be an eternity. Through diligent practices, our entire family have been able to avoid covid throughout the pandemic, but unfortunately the booster shot proved to be too much for my already compromised immune system. What once was considered mild Crohn's disease progressed to severe in a matter of just a few months. My long time medication, balsalazide, was no longer working and I was switched over to Humira. In addition to starting a biologic, prednisone was coursing through my veins much longer than I anticipated. Although a necessary evil at times, no one ..read more

Thursday, April 28th is a very important day for those of us who suffer from IBD, our family members and caretakers. Tomorrow, Virtual IBD Day on the Hill is happening. What does this mean? A few of us will have the opportunity to sit before members of congress, and lobby for Safe Step Reform, and Medical Nutrition Act. It's critical we help get these bills past. Currently, we're subject to impossible challenges to secure the care we need. Let's change that shall we? As outlined by the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation, please see what we're lobbying for below: Reform Step Therapy Step therapy ..read more

When the average person gets hit with a stomach bug, the recommended treatment is usually to get plenty of rest and fluids. It’s a bit trickier when you suffer from IBD. It gets even more complex, when you also have 3 littles to take care of. Have you ever heard "Mom's don't get sick days?" This couldn't ring more true. I'm always there to hold back hair, answer every beck and call, and provide endless snuggles. Who is there to hold Mommy? Believe me, I would love to head upstairs, close the blinds and crawl under the covers until I feel better, but that's just not an option. Ok, I had my "wo ..read more

I recently had the incredible opportunity to sit on an IBD panel at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. I wasn't really nervous prior to that morning because I did a lot of public speaking in my previous career, and have sat on forums before. It wasn't until I walked into the ginormous lecture hall filled with pre-med students, and saw the microphone, that I felt a rush adrenaline course through my veins. To say that I was excited was an understatement. I was PUMPED UP!!! I am incredibly passionate about creating awareness surrounding IBD. There currently is no cure, so sharing my story to ..read more